


New Year in Hyrule

by Blasphemous_Oasis



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Dorks in Love, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, New Year's Eve, Post-Calamity Ganon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 10:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28469457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blasphemous_Oasis/pseuds/Blasphemous_Oasis
Summary: Princess Zelda is not looking forward to the New Years celebration her father has planned. Goddess or princess, she still wants to be treated like a normal person. Link decides that Zelda deserves a break and takes her into Castle Town to properly celebrate the new year.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 107





	New Year in Hyrule

**Author's Note:**

> Hey look! I actually posted a holiday fanfic on time! Kinda proud of myself! Hope y'all enjoy.

"Please Zelda? It would be unbecoming of the princess to not attend the New Year's festivities."

King Rhoam was concerned about his daughter's mood recently. The months following the defeat of the calamity and the awakening of her powers had been the happiest he'd ever seen her. She had gotten only happier once Robbie and Purah were able to repair Terrako using the components Link had acquired. Now, however, she was becoming more aloof as each day got closer to the new year.

"I know, father. I'm just not looking forward to the celebration. There will be many expectations on me, especially now that I have awakened my powers." Her face became crestfallen. "I'm sure they will expect a speech of me.. I just want to be treated like everyone else."

"You are the princess, Zelda. You will always have expectations on you." Rhoam reasoned.

Zelda looked away from the throne, eyes settling on the extravagant carpeting infront of it. Her hands balled up fistfuls of her royal gown. Why couldn't she just partake in the festivities without the entire kingdom's eyes on her.

"V-very well. I will attend, father."

Rhoam smiled and nodded his head.

"Thank you, Zelda. We will be looking forward to your appearance. I believe Sir Link and Impa should be arriving shortly from their excursion to the Korok Forest."

He waved his arm, Zelda bowing before turning around quickly. She walked out of the hall, keeping her head down. Silently, she hoped supper would make her stomach ill, wanting any excuse to not attend and be paraded around.

She spotted Impa and Link coming through the foyer, their clothes had signs of battle, each carrying a bag of materials. Impa smiled and handed her bag to Link who accepted it without complaint.

Impa bowed and beamed at her. "Princess Zelda! Have you come to a decision on tonight? It wouldn't be a royal party without the royalty involved."

Impa was an advisor to the royal family, but more importantly, a great friend to Zelda. She was one of the few people who treated Zelda like an actual person. With a heavy sigh she nodded her head.

"Yes I have, I will be attending."

Impa didn't miss the look on her face, glancing around for any eavesdropping royals or guards.

"Not of your own volition, it would seem." Impa muttered in observation.

Link stepped forward. Her personal guard and wielder of the blade of evil's bane. Together, along with the champions, they had managed to seal calamity ganon. She also, had a massive crush on him. It was her care and affection for him that allowed her to awaken her powers.

"Sir Link."

He knelt, she quickly motioned for him to rise. She hated how he had been conditioned to treat her like she was untouchable. Zelda liked to believe they were equals, especially with their efforts to defeat the calamity. But once the dust had settled, he had resumed his duties to protect her. There was no better knight in the land to protect her, but with her powers, even a guardian could be dealt with a wave of her hand. Rhoam still didn't want to risk her, to her immense gratitude, as is meant Link was around her all the time.

Impa grabbed the bags from behind his back.

"Link and I noticed you seemed more quiet recently, so we went into the forest and obtained some fruits for you! We are going to deliver these to the kitchen so they can make your favorite, fruitcake."

Zelda smiled and looked between them.

"Thank you, both of you. I shall look forward to it."

Impa bowed again.

"And we shall look forward to seeing you at the ballroom."

Zelda resumed her walk to her chambers, feeling Link's eyes on her back till she rounded the corner. Her shoulders immediately slumped. The guards posted outside the hall to her chambers bowed, and separated to let her pass. Once inside she face planted on her bed, pulling an immensely soft pillow into her arms and squeezing it.

'At least the champions and Impa will be there..' She thought with the faint hope tonight would go well.

The evening rolled around, a maid knocking on her chamber doors.

"Princess, the party is commencing in the ballroom. The king wants you to arrive to greet the guests." She quickly hurried away.

The staff around the castle had been treating her differently as well. Most of them were terrified, scared of angering Hylia's incarnation. She had the powers of a goddess after all. But she had never treated them poorly, and always thanked them. It hurt. With a heavy sigh she ran her hands over the material of her dress, a more formal version of her prayer gown.

As Zelda left her room, she immediately heard a familiar pair of boots walking behind her. Link, adorned in his royal guard uniform marched behind her, the master sword strapped to his back. He never allowed himself to be unarmed when escorting her.

'Not like it matters' she thought to herself, 'he could kill a lynel with a soup ladle if he needed to.' He actually had now that she thought about it. The other knights refused to be within twenty meters of him after that lunch time incident.

She glanced over her shoulder. Link immediately squared his shoulders and returned her gaze. He had just bathed recently, his hair was still damp. She turned away, not wanting to get caught staring into her knight's eyes, praying the blush staining her cheeks wasn't as apparent as it felt. If only she wasn't expected to act like a prim and proper princess.

The hallway to the ballroom was filled with security. Knights lined each wall and bowed when Zelda passed by. At the door stood Impa, wearing a Sheikah style dress, which consisted mostly of grey and beige with red lining. In her arms was a squirming Terrako, clearly unhappy with being in her arms. He immediately jumped out and ran to Zelda, chirping and beeping at the sight of her.

Zelda smiled and knelt down to pet him shell, which had been decorated in new years decals. Impa ran up, scolding Terrako.

"You can't just run through the halls without an escort!" She bowed to Zelda. "Good evening, princess. Sorry we kept Terrako for so long, Purah and Robbie were insistent that his new upgrades were perfect."

Zelda looked up curiously. "Upgrades?" Terrako scampered around her to peer at Link. He gave it a small smirk before returning his eyes to Zelda.

Impa sighed and rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips. "For the festivities. Apparently. Now let's go, the guests are waiting." Zelda's face fell, Impa tsk'ing. "The important guests, the other champions."

The ballroom was full of guests, dignitaries from across the kingdom and royalty from neighboring kingdoms who came to give their thanks and celebrate. Zelda was hoping to slip in without drawing attention, but when she stepped in immediately a bugle was blown and her presence was called out to everyone. Many clapped or bowed in respect. She waved and gave quick polite greetings while looking for any of the champions. Link followed closely behind, secretly locking eyes with anyone looking to speak to Zelda, many turning away and finding their drinks incredibly interesting.

"Little bird!"

Zelda spun around, sighing in relief when Urbosa walked up to her, drink in hand.

"Hello Urbosa! I'm so glad to see you, I don't suppose you have any important business we can discuss, away from here perhaps?"

Urbosa smiled and shot her a teasing grin.

"Already wanting to leave huh? What about you Link?"

Zelda looked behind herself, she didn't miss the way Link had narrowed his eyes at her question. Right, Link. He had spoken to her on rare occasion, but she had never considered if he had been looking forward to tonight. He was supposed to watch her, if she left, he would be compelled to follow. He didn't respond to Urbosa, looking away from her as if that was his answer.

"Daruk and Revali are over by the refreshments. Mipha is mingling, she is a princess herself, you know." Urbosa looked over the crowd, trying to see if she could spot the small Zora.

"Link!" Mipha called out from behind Urbosa. She walked over quickly and smiled at him. "Hello princess. Urbosa. This is a lovely party, is it not?"

Zelda bowed in return. "Yes, it is. The planners did an excellent job this year."

"Gerudo Town parties better. No need for the suffocating decorum, just drinks and music." Urbosa hummed in thought.

Mipha turned her attention to Link. "So!" She began awkwardly, getting his attention. "Have you thought about who you would like to kiss for the countdown? I've heard it's Hylian tradition." Urbosa nearly facepalmed. If there was a more obvious way to be asked, she had never heard it. Link watched her silently before shaking his head, gesturing to the uniform he was wearing.

"Ah, of course, duty comes first. Maybe next year?" She sounded like she was asking more for her sake.

Zelda cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Mipha. But we must continue speaking to guests. Anyone being overlooked would consider it an insult to their title." She couldn't care less about the guests, she just wanted to move Link away before she jumped him.

Mipha nodded, suddenly self conscious if she herself had greeted everyone. "My apologies! I should do the same. Enjoy your evening!" She hurried off, her zora jewelry jingling with each step.

Urbosa shot Zelda a knowing look, hiding her smile by taking a sip from her drink.

"Enjoy yourself, little bird. Keep Link out of trouble." His eyebrow twitched, she took it as victory, heading off as Zelda wished her a fun evening.

Another hour passed of greeting guests and speaking about her duties as princess. Trade deals here, congratulations there, people wishing for blessings from Hylia's descendents. Zelda was exhausted, excusing herself to get some air. She leaned against the balcony, overlooking the rest of Castle Town celebrating along with the large ball for the final countdown. It looked almost like a moon ready to descend to the planet.

Link's made his presence known by clearing his throat.

"Are you okay, princess?" His voice was hoarse from disuse, a tad deeper than she had originally thought when she first heard it.

"I'm... fine, Sir Link. Thank you." She could hear him step closer, resting his elbows on the balcony and looking over. The wind caught his hair, making it blow infront of his face occasionally.

"I'm not psychic, but I can feel like you're lying." He was eyeing her out of the corner of his eye.

Zelda exhaled and rolled her eyes. Nothing slipped by him, as usual. She played with the stitching on her dress, deep in thought. Link would never disclose her secrets or thoughts, but he was loyal to the king. If he was asked to tell on her, he would.. wouldn't he? She couldn't help but feel he would keep his silence.

"I'm sorry. I just, I don't want this, Link." He sat up, watching her with concern. "I wish to celebrate like the others, down in Castle Town. They don't need to worry about following rules. They just.. have fun and relax. Everyone thinks I should act like a Goddess, but I'm still human!" Her fist clenched, tears nearly threatening to spill from her eyes.

His hand came over hers. A touch in private like this would be heavily frowned upon, but he didn't care. Her watery green eyes met his determined blue ones.

"Then I'll take you into Castle Town, princess. If that's what you desire."

She gasped, disbelief clear on her face. Her hand grabbed his.

"Really? But, how? You can't just kidnap the princess, the castle is impenetrable, especially with security on high alert for the ball."

He held her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his white glove covered thumb. "If we can defeat the calamity together, then we could sneak out the castle."

Zelda's face turned a rosey pink, but she nodded along. She had done so much for the kingdom, why couldn't she just be a little selfish.

"Very well, Sir Link. I can't wait to see what Castle Town is like this time of year."

Link let go of her hand, nodding his head.

"Mingle for a bit, when the distraction happens, I'll find you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Distraction?"

The grin he sent her was one she had seen a few times on the battlefield. He was always wild compared to most knights, almost like he was his most natural self in chaos. She was eager to see what he had planned.

Her father had approached her shortly after she came back. He had genuine concern on his features.

"Zelda! Are you well? I heard you needed to step out."

"Yes father, it's just a little crowded in here. It has been awhile since the last feast we held in here."

He nodded his head, stroking his white beard. "Yes it has. Thanks to you and champions, we will be able to hold many more."

"O-of course."

A loud crash was heard, guests gasping. A sputtering Revali was wearing the contents of the punch bowl.

"Excuse me!? How dare you! This is the finest clothing the Rito have made in over a century!" His shrill voice rang through the ballroom.

A frightened noble held his hands up, spewing out apologies left and right. He swore the punch bowl wasn't near him, but it had collided with his arm when he turned. Rhoam made his way over to help with the situation. Zelda nearly yelled when a hand founds hers and pulled her away from the gathering crowd. She looked over to see a smiling Urbosa, laughing as they slipped through the halls.

"Urbosa!? Where's Link?" She asked, hurriedly following along with her, pulling her gown up to avoid tripping.

"He's waiting for you downstairs, getting a horse ready. I was honestly surprised at his plan, but we agreed to help."

Zelda gasped. "Revali agreed to get punch spilled on him?"

Urbosa hummed, rounding a corner. "Sure, let's go with that."

The cool night air sent a shiver through Zelda when they reached the outside. Mipha was waiting with a cloak for Zelda to wear to hide her identity in Castle Town.

"Hey Zelda! Daruk said hi, he should be initiating phase two."

"W-what's phase two? Please tell me Revali isn't on fire right now."

Mipha giggled and shook her head.

"That was plan B. Phase 2 is for Daruk to slip on the spilled punch and fall on Revali. Knowing them, it should be quite the scene!"

Zelda smiled and slipped the cloak on. Link came from the stable, a horse following close behind with Terrako bouncing by Link's feet. When it spotted Zelda it ran straight up to her.

Urbosa and Mipha told them to stay safe and to enjoy the fun. They had to go back to the party and run interference on efforts to look for Zelda. Impa had snuck Terrako out and was to lead any guards searching outside the castle on wild goose chases involving clones dressed as Zelda, away from the direction of Castle Town.

Zelda waves goodbye to the pair before turning to smile at Link.

"Thank you, truly. Although it was a little scary how easy it was for you guys to kidnap me."

Link shrugged. "I could've done it myself in my Sheikah outfit but I had to find a way to mess with Revali."

Terrako bounced and chirped, his piston rising and falling quickly as if simulating laughter. Zelda giggled and pet him.

"What about Terrako? What's his disguise?"

Link shrugged his shoulders.

"You try finding a disguise for a mini guardian with three legs on short notice."

Zelda looked around, finding some discarded cloth in a crate. She knelt down and swaddled Terrako in the fabric before Link helped tie a sling for him. Terrako chirped and glanced around. Zelda wiped her dusty hands off.

"There, people might look for a lone princess, but they'd never expect to check a couple and their baby."

Link turned increasingly darker shades of red, looking away and tightening the cloak around his neck in his Hylian clothing. He had wanted them to pretend to be friends, but a couple? His mind briefly wandered to what their baby would look like, nearly slapping himself to clear the thoughts. He coughed and nodded.

"O-of course. We won't draw attention that way. Are you ready, princess?" He climbed into the horse and held his hand for her.

She crossed her arms. "On one condition."

"Anything."

"Call me Zelda."

He paused then outstretched his hand again.

"Are you ready, Zelda?"

She smiled and took his hand, climbing on behind him.

"Yes, more than ready." Terrako chirped in agreement.

Zelda was in awe as she saw the decorations in Castle Town. Banners and lights hung between buildings, homemade candles and paper mache lanterns covered food stalls. The smell wafting through the air was nearly mouth watering. They had dismounted the horse and tied it to a post at a nearby stable, going the rest of the way on foot. Zelda had insisted they hold hands when they entered to really sell their acting. Link gave no rejections.

Their hoods were pulled down, hiding their blonde hair from view and preventing anyone from getting a good look at their faces unless they were up close. Children ran past then screaming and laughing. It was so different compared to the stuffy formalness in the castle. Terrako had been covered with a blanket to prevent anyone from seeing him, but he still happily chirped at Zelda's excited reactions.

Link momentarily let go of her hand to buy her a seasoned meat skewer. She nibbled on it as they walked around, taking in the sights. It was an hour to midnight and she couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. Holding Link's hand was a major bonus. A voice spoke up next to her as they stopped to examine a decorated statue of Hylia with lit candles surrounding it.

"How old is your child?"

Zelda froze, glancing over to see a young Hylian woman holding a Rito woman's hand. "I don't mean to intrude!"

The woman only saw Zelda's smile and put a hand affectionately over Terrako's concealed body.

"Its okay, he's a few months. His name is Terrako. How are you enjoying the festivities?"

She smiled and leaned into the Rito's side.

"It's lovely, it's our first new years as a couple."

The Rito nodded her head politely. "How long have you and your.." She trailed off.

"Husband." Link finished for her. Zelda's hood hiding her blush.

"Been together? And congratulations on the baby."

Link continued, rubbing her hand affectionately.

"We've known each other for a couple years now. But this is our first new years as newly weds."

The Hylian woman chuckled and grinned.

"Newly weds and already having a baby? Heck of a honeymoon huh?"

The Rito very quickly scolded her, stammering out an apology as she could see both their embarrassed expressions under their hoods.

"I'm so sorry, she's a little tipsy!" She quickly led her girlfriend away.

Link and Zelda glanced at each other before nervously laughing. Their hands still intertwined shortly after. She quickly found herself enjoying speaking to actual citizens over royalty. Although some were a little nervous about two cloaked Hylians walking around, especially when one of them was armed with a cloth bound blade.

"So, tell me, are you enjoying yourself?" Zelda had stopped to question him. They had decided to sit near the fountain, the heels she wore were starting to make her feet sore.

"Of course. This is the most fun I've had in a long time."

Zelda bit her lip nervously. "I hope I'm not bad company. I'm sure you'd rather be spending your time with someone else."

Link frowned and took her hands into his, voice lowering to a deep murmur.

"Zelda.. There's no one else I'd rather be with than you right now. Especially here, like this. Seeing you smile and wander Castle Town has been the highlight of my day."

He gasped when Zelda leaned forward and hugged him. He hesitantly put an arm around her back and pulled her closer, rubbing her back gently. 'He smells like the forest..' She thought to herself. Terrako squirmed in his swaddle, pulling a tentacle free to uncover his face, chirping at the sight of their embrace. They had nearly lost track of time, until the sounds of chattering came to a stop, the giant decorated ball above the fountain lighting up.

This was their chance, they both thought.

"Zel-"

"Lin-"

They awkwardly muttered for the other to continue, Zelda spoke again.

"Link. In this moment, we're a couple, yes?"

Around them, people began counting down.

10!

9!

He blushed and nodded. Ignoring the sound of everyone else.

8!

"Couples kiss, do they not?" she continued, intertwining their fingers.

7!

Link's blue eyes widened before narrowing, nodding again. His gaze wandered to her lips as he licked his in anticipation, squeezing her hand tighter.

6!

Zelda smirked at him. "Don't make me spell it out loud.. It's unbecoming of a princess, ya know."

5!

4!

He cupped her chin, rubbing her jawline affectionately. He locked eyes with her and leaned closer. Zelda was certain her heart was going to explode in her chest

3!

She leaned in, wanting this just as much as he did.

2!

They closed their eyes.

1!

When their lips met, they didn't hear the cheers or celebration around them, too engrossed in each other to notice. Zelda melted into the kiss and squeezed his hand, tilting her head to deepen it. Neither pulled away, wanting this moment to last forever. A shimmering light distracted them. They both looked down to see the triforce pieces on their intertwined hands glowing brightly, drawing the attention of everyone in the plaza.

There was a murmur through the crowd as it became instantly apparent who the cloaked couple were. Another cheer rang through the crowd, happy that the two saviors of Hyrule had found love in each other.

Link shot her a questioning look. "Do you want to go back, princess?"

Zelda smiled and shook her head.

"Shh, I'm still celebrating, knight."

She wrapped both her hands behind his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss, Terrako chirping loudly between them.


End file.
